TPS Turku again made big news on Tuesday, signing veteran defenceman Henrik Tallinder. The Stavanger Oilers were also big blueline shoppers this past week, and the Braehead Clan also added a piece to their back end. 

CHL News

It was a week where teams seemed to be concentrating on shoring up their defence – of the 12 transfers from the past week involving Champions Hockey League clubs, nine players were defencemen.

A few days after announcing the homecoming of veteran winger Tomi Kallio, TPS Turku again made big news on Tuesday morning by announcing the signing of 36-year-old Swedish defenceman Henrik Tallinder. 

“We have obtained a strong leader and a strong defenceman for our team,” announced TPS sports director and former goalie Antero Niittymaki. “The team is now ready for the start of the season.”

Tallinder previously played for TPS in the 2000–01 season and since then has had a brilliant professional career, playing 13 years in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, two Olympics and was a member of Sweden's World Championship team in 2013. Last season he played for the ZSC Lions Zurich in the Swiss NLA.

Not to be outdone, the Norwegian champion Stavanger Oilers also cquired two players for their back end – Americans Nick Bruneteau and Andy Sertich, ages 23 and 32, respectively.

“Nick is a defenceman with great potential,” Stavanger sports director Pal Higson said of Bruneteau. “I've seen him play several times and been impressed by his stability, good hockey sense and strong skating. His former coaches have also spoken very highly of him. As this is his first encounter with European hockey, it is natural to think that he needs some time to meet his full potential, but I feel confident that he will fit well into our team.”

As for the veteran Sertich, who has played six season in the Austrian-based EBEL and for the Croatian national team, Higson said, “The Oilers have acquired Andy primarily for his offensive qualities. He is a solid skater and a good puck-carrying defenceman who can lead the rush. It is expected that he will be a quarterback on the power play.”

The Braehead Clan have also signed a North American defenceman making his European debut  in the form of 30-year-old Nathan McIver, who has 36 games of NHL experience.

“I played 10 years pro in North America, so this summer me and my wife decided maybe it was time to go over to Europe and try it out,” McIver explained in an audio interview on the Braehead website. He also explained that Clan head coach Ryan Finnerty told him about the CHL, after which “I kind of looked into it a little bit and decided that was something I wanted to be a part of, so that was a big reason I decided to sign (in Braehead).”

Additionally, the last two CHL teams with vacant head coaching positions filled them in the past week – German champions Adler Mannheim have hired Greg Ireland, while HV71 Jonkoping have hired former player Johan Lindbom.

Below is a complete list of transfers from the past week involving CHL clubs.